Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

with 10 campuses throughout

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. TSTC is the State of Texas's only public multicampus technical college, offering associate degrees and certificates in technical skills and trades. TSTC's headquarters are located north of

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

and are co-located with the Waco campus, the oldest TSTC location and flagship location. TSTC also operates campuses in Harlingen, Marshall, Red Oak, Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood, Sweetwater, Williamson County, and

Fort Bend County Fort Bend County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The county was founded in 1837 and organized the next year. It is named for a blockhouse at a bend of the Brazos River. The community developed around the fort in early days. Th ...

History

TSTC was established in 1965 as the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI) of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

to meet the state's evolving workforce needs. At the time, Governor John Connally (no relation) predicted that it would be "the most sophisticated technical-vocational institute in the country." In 1967, JCTI expanded to include a South Texas campus in Harlingen. In 1969, the JCTI colleges separated from Texas A&M University and became an independent state system, with its own

board of regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

, taking the name Texas State Technical Institute. Texas State Technical Institute-Waco (TSTI-Waco) was the first school in the United States to offer an associate of applied science degree in laser electro-optics technology. The program began in September 1969. The name changed to its present one in 1991. As the need for technical education increased in Texas, TSTC opened additional campuses in

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

(this campus later left TSTI to become part of Amarillo College) and Sweetwater in 1979, McAllen (1983, no longer part of the system), Abilene (1985), Breckenridge (1989), Brownwood (1991), and Marshall (1991; became a separate college in 1999). On September 1, 1999, the Marshall extension center was officially designated a stand-alone campus by the Texas Legislature, and it became known as Texas State Technical College Marshall. In 2011, the Legislature redefined the TSTC West Texas campus as one that serves West Texas with four strategically positioned, permanent locations at Sweetwater, Abilene, Breckenridge, and Brownwood. In 2013, the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of an extension center in Ellis County creating TSTC Marshall North Texas Extension Center also known as TSTC North Texas. In 2015, TSTC and the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council unveiled plans to build a permanent campus in Rosenberg. The grand opening was celebrated in the fall a year later, bringing manufacturing, engineering, and information technology programs to the community. TSTC collaborates with educational partners from throughout Texas to bring additional educational options to students. TSTC has partnerships in Hutto and Richmond working closely with a number of universities, school districts, colleges, and other entities to help provide a strong workforce for the future of Texas.

Academics

TSTC is a technical college designed to provide vocational and technical education to people entering the workforce or in the midst of a career change. As such, it primarily offers the

associate of applied science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

(AAS) degree (along with certificates of completion). In 2009, TSTC Harlingen received approval from the Texas Legislature and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to add associate of science (AS) degrees to its traditional offerings for those students desiring to transfer to a university or enter the workforce directly with an associate of science in biology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, nursing preparatory, and health professions. Additionally, the Harlingen college began offering fields of study in combination with the academic core, which when transferred to a Texas public college or university, can substitute for freshman and sophomore major requirements.

Governance

The Texas State Technical College is governed by a nine-member board of regents and operated under the direction of a chancellor. These regents, who provide a statewide perspective, are appointed by the governor to six-year terms. The board meets quarterly to provide leadership and enact policies for the successful management and operation of the system. The colleges operate under the rules and regulations of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Texas State Technical College Chancellor is Michael L. Reeser.

Campuses

Permanent campuses

Extension center

TSTC administers an extension center in partnership with Temple College at the East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Williamson County.

Accreditation

Texas State Technical College is accredited to award AAS degrees and certificates of completion by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Students may review accreditation records in the Texas State Technical College Office of the Chancellor. Texas State Technical College is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and is listed in that association's Report of Credit Given.

Rankings

Each year ''Community College Week'' publishes a special report on the top associate degree and certificate producers in the United States, considering the public, private nonprofit, and proprietary institutions of higher education that award two-year degrees and one- and two-year certificates. All such institutions that are eligible for federal financial aid funds under Title IV legislation are considered. Some data are reported by institution, while others are reported by system; TSTC is reported by institution. The June 19, 2006 report was based on preliminary data for Academic Year 2004-2005. According to the report: * TSTC Harlingen was ranked among the top 20 colleges in Texas (ranked 73 nationally) in conferring associate degrees all disciplines to Hispanic graduates. * TSTC Waco was ranked: ** the top college in Texas (ranked 45 nationally) in conferring associate degrees in agriculture, agricultural operations and related sciences ** the second college in the state of Texas (ranked 12 nationally) in conferring associate degrees in engineering-related technologies/technicians ** the second college in the state of Texas (ranked 21 nationally) in conferring associate degrees in computer and information sciences and support services ** the top college in Texas (ranked 39 nationally) in conferring associate degrees in precision and production

Wind power

In response to the growing need for technical training involving

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

(Texas is the number-one wind-energy generating state in the United States, primarily centered in windy West Texas), in 2007, TSTC Sweetwater created the first community college wind-energy program in Texas, and constructed a demonstration 2 MW 60Hz DeWind D8.2 prototype

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

for student training. Texas State Technical College has partnered with Pinnacle Career Institute in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

to offer the wind turbine technician program.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Harlingen, Texas Education in Waco, Texas Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in McLennan County, Texas Education in Cameron County, Texas Education in Harrison County, Texas Education in Taylor County, Texas Education in Stephens County, Texas Education in Brown County, Texas Education in Nolan County, Texas Community colleges in Texas Technological universities in the United States